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Kung Fu Panda
ChoiceStriker:
Did anyone else see KFP over the weekend? My family and I *LOVED* it. Without hyperbole, it's easily my favorite CG animated movie ever, and the best time I've had at the movies in a very long time.
Editing and cinematography were stunning, the character design and backgrounds were gorgeous. Hans Zimmer's score was very classy and the soundtrack didn't fall back on Smashmouth or any other flavor-of-the-week bands just to sell CDs. Above all else, the story was simple, fun, sweet and touching. If you don't mind the (bloodless) fighting, there's nothing objectionable for kids, but the movie's still enjoyable for all ages.
I was happy that the filmmakers didn't fall into the trap of simply recycling all the old kung fu cliches - the movie still felt really fresh. Of course it was an homage to martial arts movies, but was its own film. Kudos.
I'm planning on watching it again in IMAX this weekend.
shardian:
I've been hearing good things about this movie. Might try to distract the wife from Indy IV with this tomorrow night. I don't want to pay theater prices for Indy IV since I know almost all of the plot devices now.
Best animated movie ever though? Maybe you should go back and rewatch some Pixar classics again. The incredibles is my favorite, and of course Toy Story is pretty much perfection. I saw Toy Story in theaters and that was an incredible experience. I remember sitting there and thinking "this CG thing is going to huge!"
ChoiceStriker:
Yes, personally, I think it tops anything Pixar has done. I enjoyed KFP even more than the Incredibles (which I did really like - probably my favorite Pixar film). Toy Story 1 and 2 were excellent as well, but I didn't have the same feeling of joy while watching them that I got from KFP. It just hit all the right spots for me.
In my opinion, lately Pixar has gotten a bit of a free pass on its name alone, and their films haven't done much for me. I didn't see Cars, but I thought Ratatouille, while beautiful, was massively overrated. There are plenty of other forgettable Pixar films as well (Bug's Life?). After I got back from KFP, I watched a little bit of Finding Nemo on TV and couldn't believe how dumbed-down it felt - it really seemed to pander to children. Wall-E could be fun, but appears to rely quite a bit on slapstick humor. I get the impression I could feel like I'm just watching an hour and a half of the love child of R2-D2 and Johnny 5.
Another studio doing good stuff is Sony Pictures Animation. Open Season and Surf's Up are worth checking out - I enjoyed both of them more than I thought I would.
Moose13:
I didn't see KFP yet, but my kids and wife did. They all loved it.
You really need to see Cars. It was visually stunning. It's the kid's favorite (along with the nearly 100 diecast cars to go along with the movie). I thought the movie was fantastic. I saw it about 20 times and heard it probably about 50 (while driving the mini van on trips).
Open season was OK for me, and I didn't think much of Surf's Up. The kid's only watched them once a piece, as far as I know, and never picked up the DVD's again.
They are really looking forward to Wall-E, I hope they don't get disappointed. But for some reason, I think they will.
ChoiceStriker:
You're right, I should watch Cars, if only because I love cars themselves. Sometimes Pixar's character designs just don't do it for me, and I think that's why I skipped that one.
I can definitely see how Surf's Up isn't for everyone. I liked the pseudo-documentary feel of it, but I admit there were long stretches without a lot of action. Overall I thought they did a good job with it, though.
To get back to KFP, thinking back on some of these other Pixar / Sony films, I'm reminded of another reason I liked KFP - it didn't have all the juvenile belching / farting / toilet humor gags that a lot of these movies have. I remember rolling my eyes in the theater watching Finding Nemo at the "touch the butt" scene, just wondering if anyone over the age of four found that funny.
Anyway, glad to hear other people are enjoying KFP too. :)
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